SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Appalachian State University's men athletic teams extended their advantage in the race for the Southern Conference's Commissioner's Cup following the completion of the winter sports season.
The Mountaineers, winners of 30 Commissioner's Cups overall, including 17 of the last 18 seasons, won the Southern Conference indoor track and field championship, adding to the two league titles they won in the fall. ASU increased its advantage from six points in the fall to 10 points through the winter season.
Chattanooga (50 points) rose from sixth to second place in the Commissioner's Cup standings, buoyed by regular season and tournament championships in wrestling and a share of the North Division title in men's basketball.
UNCG is in third place with 42 points, followed by Furman (39), Davidson (37) and Wofford (36.5).
Western Carolina (31.5), Elon (29.5), The Citadel (28.5) and College of Charleston (26) fill the seventh through tenth spots, respectively, followed by Samford (21) and Georgia Southern (15).
In the Germann Cup race, Appalachian's women's teams are tied for second place with UNCG with 46.5 points. ASU made a climb in the standings with championships in both winter sports, indoor track and field and basketball.
Samford, the winner of the Germann Cup in 2009-10, overtook UNCG for the top spot through the winter season on the strength of a win at the league's basketball tournament.
After finishing no lower than fifth in any of the five sports thus far in 2010-11, Elon stands fourth with 45 points, followed by College of Charleston (37) in fifth and Furman (33.5) in sixth.
Georgia Southern (29) sits in seventh place on the ledger, while Chattanooga (25), Davidson (24), Western Carolina (22), The Citadel (17) and Wofford (14.5) complete the rankings.
The Commissioner's and Germann Cups are awarded annually to the Southern Conference schools fielding the league's best all-around men's and women's sports programs. Schools earn points based upon its regular season finish, with two bonus points going to the team that wins the conference tournament.
The Commissioner's Cup was inaugurated in 1970 and the Germann Cup was first awarded in 1987. The latter is named after former SoCon Commissioner, Ken Germann, who served as commissioner of the Southern Conference from 1974-86 and spearheaded the effort to introduce women's athletics to the league.
Samford, the 2009-10 winner of the Germman Cup, is one of just five schools to ever win the trophy, joining Appalachian State, College of Charleston, Furman and Chattanooga.
